Toms River North football tops Northern Highlands — Toms River North's Jazir Frazer and Robert Rossano (Photo by Christopher Shannon/OnNJ Sports)

August 29, 2026

IMAGES: Toms River North Rallies Past Northern Highlands in Battle of Jersey Football Powerhouses

Carter Tamaro , Cole Garrison , Doyle Flatt , football , Friday Night Lights , high school football , high school sports , Jim Grasso Classic , Lucas Elias , NJ sports , Northern Highlands , Toms River North , Tucker Kanning

2026 Jim Grasso Classic - Northern Highlands vs. Toms River North

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Action from a high school football game between Northern Highlands and Toms River North on Aug. 28, 2026. (Photo by Christopher Shannon/OnNJ Sports)

Carter Tamaro connected on a 25-yard field goal with 22 seconds remaining in the game to cap Toms River North’s rally in a 17-14 season-opening win over Northern Highlands in the final game of the 2026 Jim Grasso Classic.

The Highlanders staked themselves to a 14-0 lead at halftime, but the Mariners seized momentum out of the locker room when Cole Garrison plunged into the end zone from a yard out to put No. 17 Toms River North on the scoreboard. From there, the Mariners scored 13 more unanswered points to take the dramatic victory.

Lucas Elias led the TRN offense, carrying the ball six times for 122 yards, including an 86-yard, game-tying touchdown scamper. Garrison only completed four passes for 67 yards, but proved elusive as a runner, carrying the ball 18 times for 89 yards and the TD.

Tucker Kanning and Doyle Flatt led Northern Highlands. Kanning had 66 yards and one touchdown rushing, while Flatt had 5 receptions for 67 yards and a touchdown for the Highlanders.

Toms River North continues their season next Thursday when they host Toms River East, while Northern Highlands will travel to Wayne on Friday to face Wayne Hills.

About the Author

Christopher Shannon

Photo Editor

Christopher is the Photo Editor at OnNJ Sports. You can often find Christopher along the sidelines at sporting events in Northern Jersey, or at West Point photographing athletic, and other, events there. Christopher’s favorite events that he has had the opportunity to cover, so far in his career, include Penn State football White Out games and Army-Navy football games. While Christopher enjoys photographing a wide variety of sports, his favorite to cover include football, volleyball, basketball, gymnastics, and lacrosse.